Basic grammar

Japanese grammar has lots
of specific features, mostly because it is so scarcely related
to other languages. On the other hand it is very sensible,
logically very well connected. Some of its features are:

1. in Japanese the predicate
always stands at the end of the sentence

2. verbs don't change depending
on person, gender or number

3. nouns don't have plural froms
or gender

4. the dependence between words
in a sentence is expressed thru particles which follow the
affected words.

Personal pronouns

First, the personal pronouns
will be covered:

singular

plural

I

watashi

わたし 私

we

watashitachi

わたしたち私達

you

anata

あなた

you

anatatachi

あなたたちあなた達

he
she

kare
kanojo

かれ 彼
かのじょ 彼女

they

karetachi
kanojotachi

かれら 彼ら

The columns are as follows: English,
romaji, hiragana and kanji.

There is no neuter gender ("it")
in Japanese. There are multiple forms of personal pronouns.
For example, the most polite form of "I" is "watakushi".
The form "boku" can only be used by men.

For "you" males can
say "kimi", informally. "Kimi" is not
dependent on the gender of the person to whom it relates to, but
on the gender of the one who talks. "Kimi" is mainly used by men.
It's a very specific feature of the Japanese language too.

"They" has a feminine and masculine form: "kanojotachi" and "karetachi" respectively. The informal forms of these pronouns are "kanojora" and "karera".

Particles

Particles are suffixes which
follow promptly after the word that they relate to. They determine
the function of that word in the sentence. Some of the most
common particles are:

WA

-
determines the subject in a sentence.

Example:

Watashiwa Nihonjin
desu.

私は 日本人 です。

I
Japanese am.

Notice, that "wa" is
written as "ha"
in hiragana.

O

-
pinpoints the direct object

Example:

Watashiwa kohio nomimasu.

私は コーヒを 飲みます。

I coffee
drink.

This is also an exception, because "wo" is
written , but only "o" is pronounced.

NI

-
indirect object
- place marker
- time marker

Example:

７jini okimasu
.

７じに おきます。

(I)
get up at 7 o'clock.

E

-
marks direction

Example:

Daigakue ikimasu.

だいがくへ いきます。

(I
am) going to the university.

Also an exception.

NO

-
indicates possession

Example:

Korewa
anatano hon desu .

これは あなたの ほん です。

This
book is yours .

The main function of "no" is
to mark possession.

MO

-
inclusion, addition marker

Example:

Karemo gakusei
desu .

かれも がくせい です。

Hetoo is
a student .

"mo" replaces "wa" and
indicates that the word before it also has some property.